Elderly people tend to have better physical function in their daily activities if they enjoyed higher and consistent levels of well-being as adults, a recent study finds.
The new research which has been published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that enjoying life helps the elderly maintain faster walking speed as they age. The research further reaffirms the general viewpoint that happiness can lead to better overall health. Researchers involved in the study found a link between positive attitude, happy living environment and physical well-being among older people after looking at 3,199 men and women aged 60 years and older in Engla-nd.
They rated the level of enjoyment of the participants using a four-point scale which showed that those people who belonged to higher socioeconomic status and education showed higher levels of well-being in their older age. On the other hand, participants who had been through chronic illnesses witnessed lower levels of enjoyment as they get older. In the same way, elderly participants who enjoyed better life in their adult age tend to have slower decline in their physical functional activities like dressing up or getting in and out of the bed.
Likely, those who had lower levels of well-being have been found to be three times more likely to suffer through daily physical problems especially when they get much older. Dr. Andrew Steptoe said: "Efforts to enhance well-being at older ages may have benefits to society and health care systems."
